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Head coach Doc Rivers and the Milwaukee Bucks will look to advance to the championship round of the NBA Cup when they take on Jalen Johnson and the Atlanta Hawks. Antetokounmpo’s ready to take his game to the next level amid a spectacular 2024-25. He has eyes on advancing in the Bucks’ semifinal matchup, while coach Rivers revealed the similarities he sees in Johnson and the Hawks compared to The Greek Freak.
Rivers is blown away by Johnson’s development from last season to now. Doc sees Giannis in Jalen’s growing offensive approach, which the Bucks’ head coach discussed during his media availability in Las Vegas.
“We play against that every day in practice,” Rivers said. “That’s Giannis in a lot of ways… Jalen has improved his decision-making at a rapid pace. He’s gone from a rookie quarterback to a veteran quarterback.”
In his fourth NBA season, Johnson is averaging a double-double (19.8 points, 10.1 rebounds), 5.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game for the Hawks. His averages are career-best in nearly every statistical category. He shoots at a 50.3% clip, including 34.9% from deep.
Atlanta entered its NBA Cup quarter-final matchup against the New York Knicks, winners of seven out of eight, before eliminating the Knicks in a 108-100 victory at Madison Square Garden. Meanwhile, the Bucks are 8-2 in their last ten outings and 3-1 since losing to Atlanta, 119-104, on Dec. 4. Milwaukee won two straight after a 118-113 win against the Brooklyn Nets, followed by its 114-109 NBA Cup quarter-final matchup against the Orlando Magic.
Giannis Antetokounmpo drops’ next level’ take ahead of semifinals
Ahead of the NBA Cup semifinals, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is all business in Las Vegas for his matchup against Jalen Johnson and the Hawks. Doc Rivers won’t catch him behind a poker table this weekend. But he plans to take his game to another level, as he revealed on Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s Thanalysis podcast.
After revisiting a 2023 quote in which Giannis said, “I feel like there’s two more levels I can go to,” the superstar forward revealed he still feels the same way in his 12th NBA season.
“I feel very confident about myself, my ability, and my belief right now is very strong,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’m tapping to that next level right now, and I think there’s one more level for me. I feel very comfortable being a threat outside in the midrange, like giving them the Vin Baker – the shake and bake. I’ve watched a lot of clips of him. Last year, the whole year I made like 36 midrange shots. This year I think I’m like at 55 already.”
The winner between the Bucks and Hawks will face the winner between the Thunder and Rockets for the NBA Cup championship on Tuesday.
